I get a lot of slack from folk because I do not give my daughters sugar. As if I am being unfair to them, because they are missing out on so much. When I am out and about and people offer them sweets and they say no I don't eat sugar I feel very proud of them.
I realize that it is difficult for them at times, especially when they are at a party and most of the food has sugar in it. I find it quiet shocking actually the amount of food that contains sugar, another reason why I do not buy processed food.
There is so much information out there about the damaging effects of white processed sugar, I really don't think I need to go into it now, but what is most harmful is the fact that it is highly addictive. I understand that for adults it can be hard to stop consuming it, it has slowly been introduced into most of the food that we eat, especially if you do not like to cook your food from scratch.
Also the withdrawals are really full on, especially if you have been consuming a lot. When you stop you can experience headaches, dizziness, muscle weakness, anxiety and stress. This doesn't last forever, but it does make it difficult to quit.
Vegan strawberry and chocolate sugar free cake.
It is one thing for us as adults to continue to eat it, knowing how it affects our bodies and minds, but another to actually give it to your children. I have seen the effect that it has on children, I have seen how they become when they see it and want to eat it, their whole behaviour changes. Maybe others don't recognize this, because it is normal for them.
I have often had other parents come up and tell me that the parties that I put on for my children, are some of the calmest kids parties that they have been to. Why? because I do not have any sugar at the party. Sure I make a cake, I make treats but none of them contain white sugar. It is not that difficult to use a substitute, I use dates a lot in my cakes and also beetroot syrup or date syrup. My girls and me get to eat a lot of the same foods as everybody else but just without the sugar.
Our children depend on the food we feed them so that they can grow into healthy adults. I want my girls to have the best start in life, to fuel their whole being with food that nurtures them so that they can thrive. They have all been breastfed and the diet they have now is really just a follow on from that, continuing to help them build a strong and healthy immune system. Because their immune systems are healthy, then their bodies are far more able to deal with any illness or virus that they are exposed to.
I remember being out with my two eldest girls and we were sat on a park bench happily eating some apples. This lady came up to me and handed me 20 euro so that I could take my kids for something better to eat. I was shocked and just didn't know what to say, when I tried to give her back the money she insisted I spend it on my girls. So when she left we went to the local wholefood store and bought, dates, goji berries, nuts all the things we like to eat. But it really upset me for a while , to think that she thought apples where not good food for my girls. It really woke me up to how brainwashed some people are over food.**
Our bodies are like engines, they need fuel, fluids and oils so that they function properly. That is the main reason we need to eat and drink, but today food is so much more about taste and pleasure. I am not saying we should not enjoy our food, I for one love good food. But we seem to have forgotten completely that we are what we eat. What we put into our bodies dictates our overall well being, yes we quite literally are what we eat!